Remember When
by elsiecarson
Summary: When Owen and Kenzi first come back from Afghanistan Owen and Hetty sit down and have a conversation about how everything went and what happened to Kenzi in Afghanistan and whether she would ever talk about it.
1. Chapter 1

"Don't presume to know me Owen." Hetty says evenly.

"I know you better than most people, Henrietta, and don't you forget it. You don't let people in easily. Maybe I don't know you very well, but that's because you wouldn't let me know you, so don't throw that in my face. You create your own environment and you can't complain about people not knowing you. You've done this to yourself." Owen says angrily.

"Touché, Owen. You're right. You do know me better than most people, but that's not saying a lot. There are people who work with me who don't know me at all." Hetty sits down at her desk with a cup of tea.

"I know you're hesitant about putting Blye back in the field, Henrietta, but we've both been through similar situations and all we wanted was to get back into the field. Blye is no different." Owen says firmly. He sits down across from Hetty.

"Yes, and just like Ms. Blye we were prevented from going back into the field until we had been assessed. Nothing has changed. I'm not going to change my mind, Owen. This has to be done for everyone's safety. I'm not going to put my team in danger." Hetty stares at Owen over her teacup.

"I believe you, Henrietta. Just be sympathetic. We both know what she's going through right now. We need to support her. She's going to need help from someone at some point." Owen says casually.

"I notice she hasn't asked for help yet. That's not a good sign. We also both know what happens if she doesn't talk about her experience. I don't care who she talks to, but she needs to talk. It's important for all of us. You had I had each other to talk to back in the day. I can only hope Ms. Blye talks to Mr. Deeks." Hetty sighs heavily.

"You can't tell me you told me everything about what happened to you on those occasions. Neither of us are particularly open about our feelings and neither is Blye. What if the one thing she holds back is the one thing she should say? It's not as if she would know what to say and what not to say." Owen sounds tired.


	2. What About You?

"How did you cope in Afghanistan?" Hetty asks gently.

"I just had to remind myself it was my duty, but I didn't really cope over there. I didn't sleep well and I hated the clothes and the food. I froze at night and could have cooked an egg on the top of the trailer during the day. I hate sand too." Owen grumbles.

"It sounds like you had a terrible time in the desert. Have you slept since you got back? Do you have time for a good American meal?" Hetty suggests. Owen looks exhausted.

"I haven't slept since I got back, but I love some actual American food." Owen smiles at the thought of being home.

"I think we should probably get take-out. It looks as if you're about to fall asleep on your feet. I'm driving. You're in no fit state to drive at all. Where do you want to go for dinner?" Hetty asks as she grabs her purse from her bottom desk drawer.

"How about your favourite burger place? My treat." Owen suggests to Hetty.

"That sounds great. Should we get dinner to go? You're going to need sleep soon." Hetty asks as she and Owen walk out to the parking lot. She wants to give him the option.

"Take out is perfect. I may not be very good company tonight." Owen yawns and climbs into the passenger seat of Hetty's car.

"That doesn't make a change from usual." Hetty teases as she pulls out of the parking lot.

"You certainly know how to put me in my place, Henrietta. I'm running on no sleep and you're still ragging me. Give it a rest. I can't really fight back properly right now. I just want a proper meal, a hot shower where the how water doesn't cut out half way through, and a good night's sleep." Owen admits quietly.

"Sorry Owen, when you leave yourself open for a comment like that it's hard to get the jibe in all the time. You're easy to tease." Hetty says openly.

"We've always been like this with each other, but I'd appreciate you cutting me some slack right now. Afghanistan was terrible. I haven't been that scared and alone in a lone time. Having no contact with the outside world is very strange in this day and age." Owen rubs his hands over his face.

"I'll do my best, but I'm not making any firm promises. You're too much fun to tease."


	3. Falling Asleep at Dinner

Hetty pulls into the parking lot of Umami Burger. She watches as Owen slowly slides out of the car. He's clearly out of sorts more than usual. When they enter the restaurant she practically has to read him the menu so he can order. Owen sits down next to Hetty while they wait for the meal. She can tell he's about to fall asleep. "It's so good to be home." Owen yawns.

Hetty doesn't say anything. She just lets Owen rest his eyes and lean his head against the back of the seat. Suddenly Owen's heads is leaning against Hetty's shoulder and she knows he's asleep. She doesn't mind, but she knows Owen won't like this when she has to wake him up to get him in the car.

"Here's your food, ma'am." The hostess whispers to Hetty. "Can I just say you and your husband make a sweet couple? He just looks so tired.

Hetty decides not to correct the hostess. "He's been on an overseas trip. He's just gotten back. Owen, come on, wake up. It's time to go home." Hetty rubs Owen's back gently.

Owen slowly wakes up. He lifts his head off Hetty's shoulder. "Time to go home?" Owen mumbles sleepily.

"Yes dear. It's time to go home. We have to get you some food and a good night's sleep." Hetty pulls Owen to his feet as she stands up.

"Thank you, Henrietta." Owen murmurs. They walk slowly out to the car.


	4. Can We Help Her?

"You know Owen, I don't know how to help Miss Blye. I didn't know how to help you when you went through something like this and now I don't know how to help her." Hetty says as she begins to drive to her house.

"I didn't know how to help you when you went through this either. It's a pretty natural feeling in this situation. It's hard to help. People don't always want help. I didn't want help and neither did you. We wanted to fix ourselves and Blye is no different. Strong people never want to admit that they're not strong because of one event no matter how serious the event is." Owen explains as they drive along the coast.

"That's very insightful, Owen. I'm not used to that from you." Hetty admits. Owen has obviously gotten closer with Kenzie during their time in Afghanistan. Seeing Kenzie so out of sorts has been hard for her and Owen. "How do I get her to talk to me?"

"You don't get her to talk to you. She will come to you when she's ready. You have to let her come to you and she will on her own terms. Blye's tough, but she has to talk to someone eventually."

"Did she talk to you on the flight home? It was a long flight." Hetty asks Owen.

"She was pretty quiet on the flight home, but that didn't surprise me. We were both the same on our way home. I wasn't going to push her. Challenging her won't help her and probably won't be very good for my health. She'd probably try to kill me." Owen says teasingly. "You and Blye are very similar actually."

"I think that's the first time I've ever been compared to Miss Blye. What makes you think that?" Hetty asks curiously.

"I just think you're similar to her personality-wise. You're both strong women in a male dominated career. There's nothing that's more difficult. I have nothing but the deepest respect for you and Blye." Owen says honestly.

Hetty smiles at Owen's words. He's rarely so polite or so sweet.


	5. We're Still a Team

Hetty pulls into the driveway of her house. "Come on, let's get you inside. We'll have some dinner and then I'll make sure you get a proper night's sleep." Hetty gets out of the car and carries dinner into the house.

Owen follows Hetty into the house where he kicks his shoes off and hangs his suit coat up. "Thank you for this, Hetty. I know you don't have to do this."

"We're still a team, Owen. It's clear you can't be on your own. Since you came back from Afghanistan you've been on the go. You haven't had a chance to process everything you've been through." Hetty grabs some napkins before she sits down on the sofa.

"I don't know if I know how to process what I've been through. I never thought I'd experience all the things I have. I'm too old to keep doing this. This trip was brutal." Owen sighs heavily.

Hetty passes Owen his dinner and some napkins before she opens the container with her burger in it.


End file.
